Gen Q season 2, but mainly Bette related stuff (plus Shane&Alice)
by tvseriespsycho
Summary: Tibette fans come to me. I hope my english isn't too bad, cause it's not my first language. Anyway, the title of this fic basically says it all, I'll just add that there's going to be A LOT of drama! Dani, Tess and other season 2 characters will be appearing as well.
1. Chapter 1

_\- Hellouuuu, English is not my first language, sooo I'm sorry about the mistakes I probably made. _

_This is supposed to be a Season 2 of The L Word, Generation Q, but it's mainly centered on Bette. I'll try to make short uploads (don't have much free time right now) as soon as possible. _

_BAIIII -_

* * *

Bette entered her car and turned the engine on. She was determined to do this, and she felt ready. She was so concentrated on those thoughts that the drive to Tina's house felt like it never happened; she parked her car pretty close to the house ( a house she was going to see for the first time today), she took a deep breath and got out. Her walk was confident, her eyes sure. She was going to set Tina free.

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Tina was on the couch, in her pijamas, as she wasn't expecting anyone. She got up pretty confused, left her coffee mug on the short table in fron of the sofa, and went to check who it was; it better not be someone advertising a religion again.

As she approached the door, whoever was out there knocked on the glass and added an – Hello? –

Tina got stuck for a second. It was Bette. What was she doing there? She would never go visit them without calling her first if it was about Angie, so that was probably not it, or so she hoped. Was she there to talk about the wedding? She hoped it wasn't about that either, cause telling Bette had been hard enough, she never wanted to see her that heartbroken again.

When she opened the door, Bette was smiling… that was confusing.

\- Hi Bette! What are you doing here? –

\- Oh, I… I just wanted to talk to you about something, and I think it's important, so can I come in? – Bette was as direct as always.

Tina smiled back and opened the door more, then pointed Bette to the kitchen and followed her there.

\- Do you want some coffee? I was just having some. And, please, sit. –

Bette sat down at the kitchen's table and nodded. – I'd love some coffee, thanks. Oh, is Carrie home? I would like to say hi. –

Tina poured some of the coffee she'd made earlier into a mug. No sugar, Bette rarely used it anymore.

\- No, she's not here, she had to run off to some urgency at work. – she saw the look on Bette's face – You know, people don't stop being sick just cause it's Sunday. –

Bette smiled again. – Of course. Well I'm sorry, it must be tiring for her. And for you. –

Tina couldn't hold in a little sarcasm: - I mean, I'm used to it. You know, you… -

\- Yeah, workaholic. I know. Anyway, what I wanted to talk about… -

\- Wait, - Tina interrupted her, - Let me get my coffee from the other room. – she ran off and got back pretty quickly, though she was kind of scared about whatever was coming. It couldn't be bad, cause Bette was smiling so much, but then again… Bette was really good at shoving her feelings down and looking great.

\- So, what were you saying? – she sat down in front of Bette.

\- First of all, your house is really nice, or at least the part I've seen until now. –

\- Thanks, I basically chose everything myself. –

Bette smiled big. – I see. It shows. – Tina couldn't help but feel a bit sad when she said that, but she kept on smiling.

\- I'm sorry I'm in my pyjamas by the way, I didn't think anyone would come over. –

Bette shook her head, - Don't worry, it's my fault I didn't call. So, anyway, I just wanted to say… - she looked down at her hands for a second, then back at Tina's eyes, and Tina felt sad again, and scared, - I'm actually really happy you're settling down here, it's going to be so good for Angie, and we should tell her about the marriage soon. What about tonight, over dinner? Would you and Carrie be available? –

Tina got stuck with a surprised face for a second.

\- I… yeah, I'll ask Carrie, just to make sure. – She felt relieved and, well, still sad.

Bette just smiled and sipped her coffee.

\- So, are you… I think we should talk about Carrie and Angie too. You know, their relationship. – she noticed Bette's face falling a little, - I mean, I don't want Carrie to be what we are to Angie, that's not really possible. But she could be an adult Angie can go to for advice and, you know, kind of a friend. –

Bette seemed to consider it for a second when she looked at the ceiling.

\- A stepmom? It's ok Tina, I know they'll have a relationship. I'm not really worried about that, cause I trust that you'd never let that happen if Carrie weren't good enough for Angie. –

Tina couldn't hold Bette's smile anymore. She started staring at her own coffee, just sitting in her mug like nothing was happening.

\- Is anything wrong? –

She looked up again.

\- No, no, I… I'm just glad you're being so nice about this, and I'm glad you still trust me, and… -

\- Tina, of course I trust you with this. I know how much you love our daughter, I've seen it for years. It's fine. –

\- I, uh… - Tina looked down at her coffee again, just for a second. – Are you ok about all this then? –

Bette smiled again, but this time she couldn't completely hide the melancholy behind her face.

\- I am. I really am. If this makes you happy, I'm just glad you found it. –

Her eyes were so gentle Tina couldn't stop staring into them.

\- I'm glad you found someone that actually can. That's a hard thing to do, and I just hope you'll get what you want. –

\- I… you know you made me happy. It just didn't work forever. –

Bette's eyes were even more cathartic now, Tina felt like she could read all of her emotions right there, in her now slightly wet eyes.

\- I know. You too. I guess we were only meant for each other for a limited amount of time. And we did something beautiful, and spent some awesome years together, so… -

\- We made Angie. – Tina actually smiled big this time, and she didn't have to force herself to. But she felt like she was on the verge of tears.

\- Yeah. – Bette's eyes were shining with pride now. Tina had once loved the way her eyes could be so communicative.

\- Thank you, I guess I needed this. – She wanted to grab Bette's hand, but she didn't.

\- I better go now, but… 8 o'clock tonight? Let me know if you can make it. My place, I'll cook? –

\- Oh, I can do that if you want me to… -

\- No, - Bette interrupted her, - I want to. It's like a gift to Carrie too, so she knows I want to welcome her into our lives, you know? –

Tina nodded. – I'll text you then. – She smiled, stood up and walked Bette to the door.

\- Actually, want a tour of the house? –

Bette shook her head: - Sorry, I actually need to be somewhere soon, that'll have to wait. –

She stepped out the door, faced Tina and grabbed her face with a hand.

\- I'm really happy for you, if this is what you want. – She was smiling so big again, Tina almost didn't hear the last part.

Then Bette was suddenly gone, and as she got back inside and closed the door, Tina thought Bette's hand holding her face had felt like a slap.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Bette got back home, she felt the urge to have a glass wine. She was just pouring some, when her phone started ringing.

Dani was calling her.

\- Hi, what can I do for you? –

\- Hi Bette, uhm, I wanted to talk to you about something I have in mind, are you free for lunch? –

Bette frowned a bit. – I thought you were supposed to be getting married in Hawaii? –

\- Yeah, that… -

Hearing the distress in Dani's voice, she decided to change subject.

\- I'm free for lunch, and actually I am right now too. Do you want to come over? –

There was a pause on the other side of the call.

\- Yeah, yeah, I can do that. See you soon then. –

She hang up and set the wine aside. Maybe she should check on Angie.

"Everything ok? When are you coming back?" she texted her. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Angie replied:

"Yup, be back after lunch, I'll study with Jodie and the others for a while". Bette sent a thumbs up.

She walked to the sofa and sat down. Free time was pretty exhausting: the first few days had been ok, then kind of depressing, then almost relaxing. Now, she was just beginning to feel restless.

She took care of the laundry and then found out she didn't have other chores to do, as she'd been home longer than the usual. She was just thinking Dani should be here soon, when the doorbell rang.

She smiled as she opened the door, and…

\- Shane? – She just then noticed someone was with her: - And a dog? Who's that dog, where did you get it, why… -

\- Can I get in? – Shane looked pretty distressed.

\- Sure, sure… I was expecting someone else, but come in. – she made a gesture for Shane to get in.

\- So, want anything? Coffee, water, water for the dog… -

\- Wine please. –

Shane didn't really drink wine in the mornings, something bad might have happened. Either way, Bette complied, and she got herself a glass too. Right then, the doorbell rang again, and the dog barked.

\- Hi, - she said as she opened the door. It was actually Dani this time.

\- Uh, do you have a dog now? – she looked confused as she got in.

\- No, it's not mine. Wait a second, I was just… - she closed the door behind Dani and went to the kitchen to grab the wine.

\- Thanks, oh my god, I need this more than I'd like to admit. – Dani had followed her to the kitchen and proceeded to get one of the wine glasses and get a sip before Bette could say anything.

\- Ok, wow, - she chuckled, - why don't you take this to Shane in the other room… - That's when Dani realized she'd made a mistake.

\- Oh my god, I'm so sorry! This wasn't for me! Shane's here! – she looked way more mortified than she should have been. Bette smiled at her.

\- It's fine, it was yours, I was just going to pour a third glass. – she wanted to laugh at the panic on Dani's face, but she didn't. They walked together to the hall and Dani handed Shane her glass, still feeling slightly dumb.

\- Hi, you might not remember me, I'm Daniela. – she made a slightly embarrassed smile and then pulled herself together and got serious again as she sat down next to Bette. Shane was sitting in the armchair in such a relaxed position she looked like the queen of the house.

\- Yeah, you're the campaign manager, right? Isn't the campaign over? Why are you… –

Bette glared at Shane: she was going to scare Dani away. Who knew what had happened to her… Shane seemed to get it from her look: she shut up.

\- Yeah, I was just here to talk to Bette about work. I actually have a proposition to make, but it can wait. – Shane stared at her so directly it was a little uncomfortable; was that attitude the reason why she was so popular amongst girls? Dani felt a little jealous. She wondered if…

The dog made a crying sound.

\- Shhh, you monkey, what do you want now? – Shane pet its head.

\- So where did you get that dog? –Bette asked.

\- I found him near some garbage, he was searching for food. And Quiara had just said some not very nice things to me, and then she'd left me again, and I couldn't make her feel better about losing the child, so I just… I couldn't leave him there, – she moved her eyes from the dog to Dani, - Quiara is my ex-wife. – she nodded slightly as she said it. - I'm sorry I'm interrupting your talk about work or whatever, maybe I should leave. I just needed to see someone, and Alice is so happy right now, I didn't want to ruin that for her… –

Before Bette could say anything, Dani answered: - No, no, absolutely not. I can leave. We can reschedule, or maybe I should just call you. –

Shane shook her head.

\- Or you can both stay. I have a feeling you're not just here to talk about work. – Bette noticed Dani was clearly avoiding looking her in the eyes. – And by the way, - she went on, - thanks Shane for considering my life sad enough for you to come talk to me instead of Alice. –

They all chuckled.

\- So, - said Shane after a short pause, - anything you'd like to share, Daniela? –

\- Please, call me Dani. – She wasn't looking Shane in the eyes either; Bette thought that might actually be because she was attracted to her. It always, always happened to most girls when they talked to Shane, and she liked to think she'd gotten good at noticing.

\- I don't need to talk about it or anything, but since you've asked… -

\- Oh, you don't have to answer. – Shane sipped her wine.

\- No, it's fine. I just, uh, was supposed to get married a couple days ago, in Hawaii, just run away with my fiancé and get married by ourselves, no family, no one telling us how to do it… But then she came to the airport and told me she'd changed her mind. –

She said it all in a heartbeat, without pausing, as if she'd had the talk prepared, and it felt like she wasn't saying everything, and like she had decided what to say and what not to say prior to that moment.

\- I'm sorry to hear that. – replied Shane in a low voice, offering a kind, melancholic smile. Dani just nodded.

They went on talking for so long they started thinking about ordering takeout. That's when Shane decided to leave:

\- Listen, I better go, so you two can have your talk. Bette, can I just talk to you for a second? –

Bette looked at Dani for confirmation she was ok with being left alone. Dani smiled and just said: - Go on, please, - so they got up and went to the kitchen.

\- So? What's this about? –

Shane gave Bette an indecisive look.

\- Just wanted to let you know, you seem completely oblivious of the fact… - Bette frowned at her, signalling her to go on, - That girl is so crushing on you. – she whispered.

Bette laughed, then stopped when she understood Shane really meant it.

\- What? That's ridiculous, she's just behaving like I'm still her boss. – she chuckled again, but Shane wouldn't have it:

\- Bette, you know I'm always right about these things… -

\- Well, even if it were like that, it doesn't matter, she's so young and… -

Shane was smiling victoriously. – And what? You're telling me you never dated anyone older than you? –

Bette seemed to think about it, but then she said playfully: - Well, _maybe_ I don't want to be the Cherie Jaffe to Dani's Shane. – she smiled. Shane laughed and took a hand to her chest to signal being hurt.

\- What, still too soon? – Bette asked, making fun of her some more.

\- Yeah, you know, it'll always be too soon, - she chuckled again, - well anyway, we'll see who's right. I'll go now, - she kissed her cheek, went back to the hall, got her dog and walked out as Bette just stood there wondering, staring at her until the door closed after her. Shane kept smiling to herself: she couldn't believe Bette hadn't noticed that girl had such a huge crush on her.

* * *

Bette and Dani talked work over lunch, and apparently Dani's idea was to take the job Bette's opponent had offered and try gathering information they could then use against him. Bette had actually had the same idea herself, but wasn't sure whether it could actually be useful or if it were just a lost cause, so she told Dani she needed some days to think about it. She also needed to consider going back to working at her art gallery, which would participate in Art Basel, a very important art fair in Switzerland, pretty soon, and that was a job she really used to love, though her priority still was to try and make LA a better city for Kit.

That's when Angie got back home.

\- Hi mom! – They heard her calling as she entered. Bette replied, so she walked to the room they were in.

\- Oh, hi Dani. – Dani smiled back at her.

\- Honey, how was your day? Did you study enough? –

\- Yes mom, - she rolled her eyes, - we never ever stopped studying. – She paused and seemed to think about something pretty hard. – I need to ask you something… -

Bette smiled. – What is it? –

\- It's about mama T. – she kept playing with her hands in front of her, something she used to do when she was nervous.

Bette nodded: - You can tell me in front of Dani, it's fine baby. –

Angie waited a second longer: - I… can I go over to mama T's today? And maybe stay the night? I haven't done so in a while, and she said my room is more or less ready and… -

Bette stopped her by raising a hand: - Angelica, of course you can, you don't ever need to ask. We're working out a schedule for that anyway, but you can go today, and I'm always going to be really happy you get to spend some time with your mom. – She smiled as sweetly as she could. Angie should never feel bad about that.

Angelica smiled too: - Thanks mom, I love you. I'll go get my stuff then, maybe I can start taking some things there. – she waved at Dani and basically left in little jumps.

Bette was still smiling.

\- It must be complicated, uh? – Dani asked. – Having a child together, and… -

Bette sighed slightly. – Yeah, of course, I'll miss her when she's not here. But it's fine, and you know, she's not really a child anymore… - Dani nodded smilingly.

\- Well listen, let me know about the job, I better go now. – She got up pretty fast, feeling like she might have overstayed her welcome. Bette smiled ad her and stood up as well.

\- I'll call you about that, and uhh, actually, - she paused, as if she wasn't sure whether she should go on, but then continued: - we're having a drink at Dana's tonight, Shane and Alice and Nat and me, would you like to join? I know you probably don't want to talk about your… ex fiancé? But it might be good for you to maybe rant about it, or just grab a drink. – she paused again, noticing Dani looked indecisive, - Just in case, ok? – and then she smiled pretty big.

Dani was standing with her hands in her jeans back pockets, looking like a mix of embarrassment and confusion as she replied: - Sure, yeah, I'll think about it. –

Right then, Dani couldn't help but smile a little.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hellooouuu, sorry I'm taking a long time to publish chapters, I have uni exams :3 hope you enojoy a little, and let me know if you find any grammar mistake please. That would be nice of you._

_P.S. I decided to include more of Shane's storyline here, and I'll add more of Alice's in the next chapters too._

Bette's phone started ringing a short time after Dani left.

\- Hello? – she picked up.

\- Hi, it's me, uhm… Carrie can't make it tonight, I guess I'll just spend the night with Angie if that's ok. –

Bette felt weirdly relieved, like a weight had just been lifted from her stomach.

\- Sure, no problem, we'll reschedule. Oh, and… we're going out for drinks after dinner, Shane and Alice and me, but you'll be with Angie, so… -

\- Yeah, I'll join some other time. I miss them so much! – Bette could hear her smile through the phone.

\- They miss you too, T. Well, bye then, give Angie a kiss for me. –

\- I will! Bye. –

After they hang up, the afternoon went on pretty quickly, though she felt a bit lonely. But soon enough, it was time to go out.

* * *

Dani tried to pull herself together as much as possible before walking in. The bar was packed, and she didn't really expect it to be. It took a while before she could spot Alice in the crowd, sitting at a table that was being shielded by a pack of girls dancing in the middle of the room. She walked towards the table: next to Alice, Nat was sipping a drink. Dani saw her start laughing and then kissing Alice's cheek.

\- Hi! Dani! – Alice had spotted her before she could say anything. She smiled at her and then greeted the others: Shane and Bette were sitting on the other side of the table.

\- You came, - Bette said, a little surprised; that was probably because it was a little late.

\- Yeah, here I am! – It had taken a while for her to make up her mind about going.

Shane patted the space next to her: - Sit! – She spoke a little drunkenly, which made Dani chuckle as she sat.

\- You've been drinking a little, huh? –

Alice laughed: - ooh yeah, busted! We're a tiny bit tipsy… - she showed her how little by placing her thumb and index fingers close together in front of her face.

\- Oh, we are, except for Bette cause she's perfect, - added Shane, while lightly punching Bette's shoulder, which made her burst into a small, slightly self-sarcastic laugh.

\- Sure I am… -

\- Excuse me, no, she's just as bad as us! – Alice sounded as enthusiastic as ever, - we have sooo many storied about her being completely wasted… -

Nat nodded: - yeah, we do… -

\- Baby, you have no idea, you didn't even see her years ago, when she was actually bad! –

\- Ooooh, so there's better stories? Tell us! – Nat turned to Bette, - Sorry! I wanna know! –

Bette didn't have time to try and stop Alice from talking, as she was already blabbering after zero point one seconds:

\- Remember when Tina and her had their first house with a pool, - she was talking to Shane, - and she was so drunk she threw up in there while we were all bathing and everyone started swimming away real fast… -

\- Actually, that was Carmen. – Bette interrupted her.

\- What? –

Shane nodded: - Yeah Alice, that was Carmen… I guess you were pretty drunk as well, cause you don't even remember! –

Dani laughed. – So is she perfect then? – Bette smiled at her while sipping her drink.

\- Oh, hell no! – Alice and Nat kept giggling like teenagers.

\- What if… - Bette decided to take the situation into her hands to avoid further damage, - we go dance? –

Nat and Alice squirmed.

\- Let's go! – said Shane. Dani stood up looking a little surprised, but then got what Bette was actually doing when she saw her staring at her three friends leaving and never actually following them.

\- Oh, I see. – she smiled knowingly as she sat in front of Bette, where Nat was sitting just a second ago.

\- Yeah… - Bette stared at her for a second, - should we get you a drink? –

Dani nodded and called for a waitress.

\- Can I get a sour whiskey… - she looked over at Bette from the corner of her eye and added: - please? –

The waitress gave her a flirty smile and nodded before leaving.

\- So, how's Shane holding up? – she was referring to the conversation they had that morning at Bette's.

\- If I tell you, will you tell me how _you're_ holding up? –

Dani looked down as she lost her smile for a second, - Maybe. – she said.

\- Well then, I'm just saying, the main reason I'm not drinking, though I could now that I don't have paparazzi following me around, is I want to keep an eye on her, cause this must be really hard. And she needs this night out, I don't want it to go sideways. –

Dani softened up as she heard that. – that's really nice of you, though I do think she's old enough to take care of herself. –

Bette chuckled. – Yeah, guess so… -

They chatted for a while, and Dani could never find the courage to open up about the wedding. Then Alice came back to drag them to the bar, while singing some made up song about having shots.

Shane and Nat were already waiting for them with a double line of shots in front of them, amounting to a total of ten small glasses.

\- Finally! – Shane smiled big as she put her arm around Bette's shoulders, - let's get you funny! –

She raised one of the glasses and seemed to be thinking for a second before she came up with a toast:

\- To Alice and Nat! I'm so glad the two of you got back together! –

They all raised their glasses and had the first shot.

\- So much for staying sober… - Bette smiled at Dani as she said that.

Alice grabbed the second glass, - To us being out and having fun! –

As Tess was taking the glasses away and Alice was pulling Nat back to the dancefloor, Shane sat down at the bar, next to Bette. She was feeling really dizzy, so she thought she better not get another drink. Tess was being the best bartender ever and, as she stared at her from afar, she hoped she wouldn't start drinking again. She seemed to have it under control, but it wasn't like last time she'd gotten drunk she'd given any signal.

Well, maybe it should have been obvious she'd drink right after breaking up with her girlfriend... Shane was doing the same.

She was so distracted by her own thoughts, she almost didn't notice the woman talking to her:

\- Hi, you must be Dana right? – She was pretty tall, wearing mostly black clothes and many rings on her hands.

\- What? Me? No, you got me confused with someone else. –

The woman kept looking back and forth between her and Tess. She was probably waiting for her drink.

\- You're not? I was told you're the owner of this place. –

\- Oooh! – Shane made a sad smile: - I am, but it's called Dana after a friend. –

The woman smiled sheepishly: - A friend, huh? Or an ex-girlfriend? – She had completely misread the situation.

Shane shook her head.

\- Just a friend. –

The woman finally got her drink and started sipping it.

\- So, bar owner, what's your name? –

\- I'm Shane. – She made her patent charming smile and the woman looked like she melted.

\- I'm Jeanine. – she wrapped some of her curly, red hair around her right hand fingers, - would you like to dance? –

\- Sure. – Shane smiled some more as she got up and took the woman's hand to then lead her to the dancefloor.

They danced for a while, she couldn't tell how long, but everything was spinning and the woman was getting closer and closer to her, touching her hips now and then, or pulling her hands to her body. Shane just kept a little smile on her face, though she didn't really feel like smiling, until the woman wrapped her arms around her neck, and she suddenly had a dejavu about Quiara doing that.

She tried to move away the woman's arms as she noticed her perfume didn't smell like Quiara's at all, but right then the girl tried to kiss her.

It was just a short, closed lips kiss, and then Shane managed to push her away.

The woman looked bewildered.

\- Did I do something wrong? – she stared at Shane with her green eyes wide open. – I'm sorry. –

Shane shook her head. – No, I'm… I'm sorry. I need to go. –

And she just left her there, walking away as fast as she could, as if Quiara were following.

* * *

A couple drinks later, Dani was sitting next to Bette at the bar, and she suddenly felt like she could think clearly through the alcohol fumes, so she randomly spurted out: - Sophie left me at the airport. –

Bette turned around to give her a surprised look.

\- She… was late, and I was just sitting there paralyzed, thinking she'd never show up. When she did show up I was so relieved, but she'd just come to tell me she's in love with someone else. –

Bette silently stared at her.

\- And the best part is, that someone is her colleague and best friend who would always be around the house we used to share… she was always there, and I never saw it coming. –

She turned around to face Tess, who was bartending, and held her head in one of her hands, like it was suddenly too heavy to stay up on its own. She could feel the stickiness of the bar under her elbow, but she didn't care.

She hadn't talked for a while, so Bette gently touched her upper back with her free hand.

\- I'm sorry, I know how it happens. Sometimes we just can't see what's right in front of us. –

Dani smiled sadly.

\- I guess my relationship with Sophie wasn't working anyway, so maybe it's for the best. She couldn't deal with me being a workaholic, and I couldn't deal with her pushing me to open up whenever she wanted me to, so… and I thought I could fix everything by basically eloping, but that was clearly a dumb, impulsive idea. –

Bette had a melancholic smile on her face when Dani looked back at her.

\- Trust me, being a workaholic can destroy the best relationships. Happened to me too. –

\- It did? I mean, honestly I can imagine that. – Dani chuckled and sipped her drink.

\- Sure, probably more than once too. Remember Tina? – Dani nodded, - me being so hung up on work, and so controlling, made it very hard for her to stay when we were first together. –

\- First? –

\- Yes, first. We broke up and got back together a few times. – she chuckled.

\- So did you ever get over the work problem? –

Bette shuddered. – I don't know. It wasn't exclusively a work problem, more like a me being controlling problem that also caused my being so obsessed and passionate about my jobs. It's not all bad, just complicated… but I wouldn't trade any of those work experiences for anything in the world. –

Dani smiled to herself.

\- So, anyway, - Bette continued, - is it kind of my fault you're out of both a job and a wife? –

That made Dani laugh pretty big.

\- Shut up, - she said, probably losing her normal language filters due to the alcohol, - I can make my own decisions! I really loved working with you, and "I'd never trade that work experience for anything in the world!" – she made a silly voice to make it clear she was repeating what Bette had just said. But Bette didn't laugh, so she spinned her stool around to face her. She was staring at the glass in her hand, looking melancholic. Then she spoke:

\- I'm sorry we didn't win. You did an amazing job, and maybe if I hadn't made those mistakes with Felicity… - Dani took her hand to interrupt her,

\- You know it's more complicated than that. You should be major, people are just not ready for the change you'd bring yet…–

Bette laughed a crystalline, short laugh, one that sounded like she wanted to make fun of herself, like she was embarrassed by the compliments.

\- And making mistakes is ok, - Dani continued, – As long as you learn from them, I guess. -

\- Well I'm not so sure I ever learnt from some of my mistakes. But anyway, I'm honored we worked together, you're really talented at what you do. –

Dani was still holding her hand.

\- I know I am. – she smiled proudly, but looked like she was distracted by something, not really following the conversation anymore. She stared at Bette's smiley eyes, her lips, and then she felt the urge to stand up and run away, but when she stood she was even closer to Bette, and she was tangled there, like an invisible net was keeping her still.

The stools were so tall her eyes were at the level of Bette's, and Dani didn't even feel herself slowly moving towards her. Bette looked really serious as their faces were just inches apart, her eyes sparkling with a mix of feelings.

Dani didn't know her own hand had moved until she felt the fabric of Bette's silk shirt on the tips of her fingers. She travelled over the neck of the shirt…

Bette grabbed her wrist, and she got a little bit startled. As Bette's lips parted, she thought she was going to kiss her…

\- Stop. – Bette moved her arm away, holding her wrist. - This is wrong, I can't make the same mistake again. –

Though Dani didn't work for her anymore, it was a matter of principle. She'd had such a hard time with Felicity, not even alcohol could make her forget.

Dani's face tuned into a mix of surprise, embarrassment and fear.

\- I'm sorry! – she stepped back, looking confused. But then she pulled herself together pretty quickly, and badly hid her feelings. She looked like a little kid that knew she'd done something bad, her eyebrows close together in a hardly concealable frown.

Bette took a deep breath as her heartbeat started to slow down. - It's ok, I just… I can't. – she really hoped Dani would understand why.

* * *

Tess saw Shane walking fast to the back of the bar. She could very well recognize the signs of a soon to be throw-up, so the thought she better check up on her. She told the new barista to take care of everything for a few minutes and followed Shane to the back room.

She knocked on the door a couple times, until she heard Shane say "come in" in a pretty distressed voice. When she opened the door, she saw her sitting on the sofa, her head in her hands, hair tangled up in her long fingers. She didn't even raise her head to check who it was.

\- Hey, it's me. – Tess closed the door, walked towards her and kneeled in front of her. – Are you ok? –

\- I'm fine. – the answer came too fast, like she expected to be asked that.

\- Listen, I'll get you a bucket. I know you probably don't want people around, and you don't want to hear me talking, so… -

Shane didn't respond in any way, so Tess just went on doing what she thought might help.

When she gave her the bucket, Shane held it for a little bit and then said in a low voice:

\- I really need to throw up. –

Tess sat next to her and patted her back. - Yeah, you'll feel much better after you do, – she replied. Shane nodded weakly.

After a minute, still nauseous, she turned to Tess: - I'm sorry about your girlfriend. –

Tess shrugged. – I know, you already told me. Ex-girlfriend anyway. –

Shane stared at her with a sad half-smile, her eyes kind. She set down the bucket and enclosed Tess in a gentle hug, her arms locking Tess's to her body, so she couldn't hug her back. To her, being sober too, it felt a little uncomfortable, and she realized they'd never hug before.

\- I'm sorry I made you drink. – Shane laid her head on Tess' shoulder as she said that.

\- You didn't do anything, I decided to drink. –

\- I'm sorry. –

Tess smiled. – You're sorry about a lot of things huh? You keep saying that. –

\- Yeah, sorry. I have a lot of things to be sorry for. – she slurred the words, and Tess felt her arms around her let go gradually. Was Shane falling asleep? Her body was now weighing against Tess', so she gently moved away and let Shane lay on the sofa. She got both Shane's and her jackets and used them as blankets. Then she kneeled in front of Shane's face and moved her hair away from her face.

\- Don't be sorry, - she whispered, - I don't know what happened to you, but it will get better. –

Shane muttered something in response, but she couldn't understand what, so she just went back to work.

* * *

As Tess was walking back behind bar, she saw Dani walking outside pretty fast and with a weird look on her face. She went ask some girls what they'd like to drink, and then noticed Bette was sitting at the bar alone.

\- Hey. – Bette raised her head as she heard her.

\- Hi. – She smiled politely. Tess poured some gin in a drink.

\- Shane drank a little too much, she's sleeping in the back room. – she didn't look at Bette as she talked to her, as she was busy making the drinks: she liked putting effort into making them look and taste good.

\- Oh. – Bette paused, - Is she ok? –

\- Yeah, she's fine, I'll go check on her every once in a while. – Tess handed the girls their two drinks.

\- It's ok, I'll do that, you're working. Thanks for telling me, I got a little distracted… -

Tess smiled knowingly as she washed a glass.

\- Isn't that girl that just ran outside your employee? –

\- Ex-employee. Her name is Daniela. –

\- Thought so. I don't wanna be intruding, but did something happen between the two of you? –

Bette looked weirdly serious.

\- No, it didn't… I think she was going to kiss me. –

\- And you didn't let her? –

Bette shrugged and sipped her drink.

\- Why not? – Tess handed the other barista a bottle.

\- Why not? – Bette echoed, - She used to work for me! I made that mistake more than once already. –

Tess stared at her for a second: - Is that it? She's not working for you now, and you're not being persecuted by journalists anymore, are you? –

Bette smiled. Her eyes looked pretty charming when she did. – I guess so. But, well… Dani's too young anyway. –

\- Oh, so that's why! Finally admitting it! – Tess laughed as she rinsed a glass.

\- Well, yes! She doesn't know half of what I've been through, and… -

\- And? She didn't ask you to marry her. Doesn't everyone say maturity isn't really related to age anyway? – someone asked her for drinks again.

\- They do, and I agree with that, but… - she stared at her drink, - and about marriages, she was just basically left at the altar. Probably not in the right mindset for making choices right now. And I'm not either. –

Tess laughed. – Maybe she just wanted a little comfort. Do you always think everything through? –

Bette smiled and then let out a small laugh. – Apparently I never did that enough, so I'm trying to do it now. – she paused, - you're a good shrink-bartender, did you practice a lot? – she smiled at Tess.

\- I did, and you have no idea what people tell me here, especially cause they're drunk. But I can't tell: everything is subject to professional secrecy. – she winked at Bette and took her empty glass.


End file.
